Très Blessed

Remember Summer?

2012-01-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

Remember Summer?

Right now is the time of year that people start getting stir crazy. Trips South are common for those who have the time and money.

There's a need to recharge in order to survive the remainder of our long winter.

Me? I just wait until the end of January to organize and upload my photos from July. It takes me back to the warm months and provides hope that the days are slowly getting longer and warmer, and before we know it, it'll be time to procrastinate Summer photo organization again. :)

Last Man Standing....

2012-01-24T11:42:00.003-07:00

I have mentioned that I follow certain football players and their teams for various reasons. Well, it turns out only one of my "guys" has endured to the end: Danny Woodhead.

He played at my alma mater, which is just a tiny school in Nebraska that most people have never heard of. I was already graduated by the time he started playing, but in a town of only 5000 people, many people I know are friends with him. And, my husband attended a few Danny-studded (like star-studded?) games at the field only blocks away from our first home.

So, we were thrilled when he first started in the NFL. He played a couple minutes on the NY Jets before they let him go. We were so sad....and THEN the Patriots decided to pick him up! We were surprised and hoping for a more long-lived experience with this amazing team. And, we have not been disappointed!

Here is a Super Bowl prediction about our own Danny Woodhead: Click to read article.

A Current Post :)

2012-01-15T21:42:00.001-07:00

It was a big football weekend. A big, sad, leave-me-with-an-empty-feeling weekend. Who do I root for now?

I have a whole week to ponder it and decide. Decide which team will be lucky enough to get my cheers. :)

Tonight, Jobey read Green Eggs and Ham to his siblings. This is such a joy and relief to me. My biggest apprehension about homeschooling was that my kids wouldn't learn how to read.

I had even entertained the option of sending them to school for the first 2 or 3 years, and then homeschooling from that point on. So, to see my boy reading with ease and enjoyment is encouraging.

Asher's first toy. He likes it.

I tried to edit these to correct the brightness....but it just wasn't working for me. I liked the bright ones best.

Our property borders public land at the rear. A few mornings ago, I noticed that there were a whole bunch of cows out there. I've never seen cows out on that land. I loved having them close by. I only wish it was warm enough outside to open the windows and hear their mooing. I love a good bunch of moo's. :)

Some Highlights

2012-01-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting caught up on some photo editing and organization. Here are a few favorites from 2011:

Mama's Little Cowboy

Mama's Superhero

Mama's Ranch Hand

Psalm Sing in the Park

Nebraska Christmas 2011

2012-01-14T15:07:00.001-07:00

We had an icy drive...

...but the weather was perfect once we arrived! There was a lot of playing outside time for the 13 cousins present.

Great Grandma meets Asher.

Playing with Words

2012-01-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

Commence Smiling

2012-01-13T21:29:00.000-07:00

Wyoming Christmas 2011

2012-01-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

A Sling, A Sickness, and A Snow

2012-01-13T11:44:00.001-07:00

Baby #5, Sling # 1

Q: Why didn't I get one of these before?

A: I'm cheap.

FYI, this cute sling only cost $35....

Also, carrying a baby in a sling looks and feels a bit like I'm pregnant again. I find this makes me chuckle.

A Sick Kid:

There's something so sad and precious about a feverish little kid.

Praying my baby feels better soon and trying to cherish every cuddly moment.

We've got Snow. It's been such a mild, pleasant Wyoming winter. I even enjoy the snow we've had. It's beautiful and not blowing (at the moment).

Has anyone noticed Blogger being weird while composing posts? I'm finding it difficult to effectively use the enter key....

*Update: The moment referred to in this post has passed, and the snow is now blowing.... the animals won't even venture outside for a snack of scraps....thankful for my warm and cozy home....and my work -from-home occupation.

Activities

2012-01-10T22:21:00.000-07:00

I usually like to stay home.

I don't sign my kids up for a whole bunch of activities.

But, I couldn't resist getting Sadie into a ballet class.

So fun. I don't anticipate regretting it. It's very good to do girl stuff.

Yummy...

2012-01-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

I made this this weekend. It was scrumptious, and you should try it.

I didn't have sherry, so I used Marsala. I also used elk cube steak instead of beef.

I'm excited to learn to use cube steak. We got a bunch from our super generous neighbors/friends.

I also made the buns from scratch, but they weren't anything remarkable....when I find a remarkable bun recipe, I'll share it.

*The photo is from the recipe which is found on TastyKitchen.

Have you tried TastyKitchen? I use it almost exclusively for all of my recipe-searching needs.

Try it. :)....and try the steak sandwiches too!

A Good Attitude

2011-12-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

If at first, you don't succeed...

...try, try again.

Tardy Tidings

2011-12-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

Biggest Loser

2011-12-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Our PE program this fall has pretty much consisted of family Biggest Loser sessions using the Wii. I love it. :)

Funny dialogue from this morning:

Jillian Michaels (Biggest Loser Trainer): Now is the time to give me everything you have!

Amos: No! Because then we wouldn't have that stuff anymore!

:)

New Toy

2011-12-12T06:25:00.001-07:00

I got a new lens.

It makes me smile. :)

Canon 50mm f/1.8

Football

2011-12-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

Judah’s reaction when he found out we wouldn’t be able to enjoy Thursday Night Football, because we don’t subscribe to the NFL Network.

What a football day!

I am fickle when it comes to football. I am not loyal to any team…I am loyal to certain players….until they do something I don’t like.

This season, I am a fan of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, Danny Woodhead and the Patriots, Tim Tebow and the Broncos, Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers….

In seasons past, I have cheered for Brett Favre and his various teams. Then, Brett Favre got creepy, so I stopped rooting for him. See?…fickle.

Tim Tebow and the Broncos entertained me quite well today! Wow. What a game! Is anyone with me here??

Wow.

Teen Mania

2011-11-11T16:53:00.004-07:00

This article on has captured my attention over the last couple of days.

Here is a video of the documentary: Mind Over Mania

When I was 20, I spent 2 months in Kenya on a Teen Mania missions trip.

I had some major issues with Teen Mania. And, I felt all alone for the entire summer...I struggled through with just my Bible and my journal...working out some pretty major stuff....stuff that I'd been needing to work out for quite some time, and that summer was the point when God forced me to study His Word and get to the Truth of many matters.

I watched the documentary last night, and I think it paints Teen Mania in a truthful light. One thing I take issue with is that MSNBC likely DID approach Ron Luce under false pretenses. And, I feel bad for Ron....because he seemed so upbeat about sharing information with the network, and I'm sure he felt betrayed when he saw the show aired last weekend.

There's so much I could say and share about my experience and how I saw the same problems that the girls expressed in their recovery meeting. But, rather than do that, I just want to reflect on the reality that my experience with Teen Mania had overall good results.

God used an organization run by confused people, guided by false doctrine, and corrupted by greed and power to further my relationship with Himself. The following areas were challenged and developed in a way that no other experience could have been the catalyst to do:

My faith in Scripture ALONE as the foundation for all truth.
My confidence in Christ as the only One whom I am to be pleasing.
An assurance that God sent me to Kenya for the sole purpose of being the object of His blessings.

I am heartbroken that so many, according to the documentary, did not leave their Teen Mania experience with anything more than heartbreak, anxiety, and a seeming assurance of Christian hypocrisy.

So...I'm praying for them.
And I'm proud of them for going public.

A Joyous Day!

2011-11-08T18:45:00.001-07:00

October 27, 2011

2:00 pm

We welcomed Asher Joseph to our family!

He weighed 8 lbs, 2oz. and was 21" long.

We're in love!

Dinosaurs and Antelope

2011-10-21T15:34:00.000-06:00

Amos has his heart set on discovering some dinosaur bones. Here, he's digging away in the back yard, telling me that we need to have a whole bunch of kids, so that the whole family can help him in his dinosaur bones pursuits. :)

On another, pretty unrelated, animal note: The nice family who provided the adorable kitties...They have a very friendly baby antelope on their property also. She was abandoned at a young age, and this family nursed her to health...and now she follows them around everywhere. And she followed us around while we were there too. It was sort of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I think. So...I'm sharing with you. :)

A Worthwhile Purchase

2011-10-13T17:04:00.000-06:00

My parents went in with us this year on a birthday gift for all the kids.

My mom and dad wanted to get a jungle gym. I liked that idea too, but it was a bit more expensive, and I was afraid it might require more maintenance. So, we decided on the trampoline.

I am so glad we did. The kids love it. I often say, "Go outside, and jump on the trampoline!", and I don't think they have once complained about the idea.

That's pretty great.

Our new additionS!

2011-10-10T22:18:00.000-06:00

We are semi-patiently awaiting our new addition.

But, while we wait....we've adopted a few "babies" into our family.

DUCKS

See bottom left of photo.

Meet Meriwether, Drake, Dricoll, and Periwinkle.

We got them from a friend, and they've been pretty entertaining. We're told that the 2 females will start laying eggs at some point, and I'm excited to see how we like them.

The second night we had them home, we decided to try out their free-range-ness. They tried to waddle their ways back to their previous owners' house. Morgan had to "herd" them back. Thankfully, ducks are easy to round up....who knew?

They were ready to be free range a few days later, and they haven't wandered once...they're pretty easy.

KITTIES

Meet Temptleton and Charlotte.

They are adorable in my opinion. Last winter we acquired a couple of kitties...and that experience ended in a tragic fashion. I've known that I wanted to try the cat thing again...and this has been our best opportunity.

I think I'm a cat person. They are just so dang cute.

Baby Steps

2011-10-08T21:41:00.001-06:00

I uploaded and edited photos tonight.

Now, I'm uploading them to Flickr....this takes a while, and I need to go to bed, so I shall wait to post any new pictures to the blog.

I had a nice Saturday. We spent the whole day together as a family...sometimes doing nothing, sometimes doing "stuff". It was energizing for me... I feel "up".

Goodnight. :)

Friday Night

2011-10-07T18:04:00.000-06:00

I blog in my head often.... I do not blog on my blog nearly as often.

Part of the reason for my procrastination is that I want to include relevant, edited photos in every post. It turns out, I'm not so much in the season of life which allows for a lot of photo editing.

So...no photos in this post. Stepping outside my comfort zone.

Our new baby is due to arrive 4 weeks from today. I've been feeling less than super great for the last couple of weeks. It's hard to tell if I'm ill or if I'm displaying the symptoms expected when there is a quickly growing bundle of joy in my belly. I'm anxious to meet him/her....

I will share more later. I do have some pretty great pictures to upload, edit, and post. Pictures of all of our farm animals, of the kids, of the beautiful autumn we've had here in Wyoming, and the nearly finished mini-barn that my handy husband has invested the last several months in. I have some exciting updates and some personal thoughts and ponderings as well.

Things are going well though...

Will post again soon.

Amos is 5!

2011-09-15T12:32:00.000-06:00

5 is such a milestone, isn't it? Since we homeschool, he has technically been a kindergarten student for at least 6 months already. But, there is something about that magical coming-of-school-age.

My Amos is so precious. His smile is genuine and contagious. I think he might be the most photogenic of all of my children. I wish I could capture his laugh as easily as his smile. It, likewise, is from the heart and catchy.

He is smart. He focuses so well on school work. He has an outstanding memory. And, he loves history above all other school subjects. One day, I told him we didn't have to do history because we had finished all of our history for the week, and he started to cry.

He also loves dinosaurs. Our local college has a geological museum. I took the kids there about 9 months ago, and Amos has been begging to return ever since. I have put it off....but I thought it would be fun to go on his birthday. I bought him this plush blue dinosaur at the museum store.

Then, we had Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousin over for dinner, cake, and presents. We also had our neighbors over...they're like family too. :)

Birthdays are fun. I'm sad that he's not 4 anymore, but I'm proud of the 5 year old that he has become!

Our Grocery Bill is About to.....

2011-08-08T21:33:00.000-06:00

PLUMMET!!

As of today, we have fresh laid eggs in the back yard!

Happiness

2011-08-04T20:48:00.000-06:00

This photo makes me happy.

Our baby is really turning into a Daddy's Boy. It warms my heart to hear him call out "DahhhhDeeee!"

Homeschool Curriculum

2011-08-02T21:54:00.000-06:00

I mentioned a couple months ago that I would post some information about our homeschool curriculum.

I have finally fulfilled this promise. :)

I provided a complete list (with photos) that can be accessed by clicking on the tab labeled "Our Homeschool Curriculum" at the top of the page.

Check it out if you'd like. :)

The Help

2011-08-02T19:34:00.000-06:00

The task:

"Poking"

Description: Fill in the holes around the fence posts with well-packed dirt.

The wages:

A sip of "gook"

Translation: Koolaid

My "Find" This Summer

2011-07-29T17:52:00.000-06:00

My mother-in-law, who lives in North Central Nebraska (i.e. "a place where it rains"), has a wonderful garden every summer. We might covet it... She also has a cute, antique gate leading into her gorgeous garden. Here is a picture of it from 2 winters ago when we got snowed in for Christmas.

When we were visiting about a month ago, Morgan said, "I'd really like to a get a gate like my mom's for our chicken run."

So, a couple weekends ago, Hubby and I set out on our respective ways. I headed out to garage sales, and he went to the local farm supply store ("the cowboy store" according to the kids) to get the remaining materials for the chicken run.

After I had exhausted the money in my "Garage Sales" envelope, I headed to a second-hand store that I love to drop into occasionally. In the front of the store, leaning up against a tree, was A GATE! An old, antique garden gate.

I called Morgan right away, but it went to voicemail. So, I took a picture with my phone and headed home. We both arrived home around the same time, and he told me the story of the gate he ended up being forced to buy...the one that wasn't exactly what he wanted and cost more than he wanted to spend.

I told him my story, showed him the picture of the gate that was exactly what we wanted for less than 1/2 the price, and we were ecstatic!

We managed to get back to the second hand store before someone else snatched it up, and the new, expensive gate was promptly returned.

And HERE....is the new "old" gate!

Now that I've retrieved that winter photo of the other gate, I see that they are almost identical!

"$29"

I'm excited and thankful for our gate. :)

A Summer at the Lake

2011-07-23T21:49:00.002-06:00

I love summer...but I get easily fatigued in the sun.

It's easier to stay in the air conditioning, but air conditioning doesn't build childhood memories. :)

SO....this summer, I set out to create memories. I wanted the kids to remember this as "the summer we spent at the beach".

Amos has been intrigued by "the beach" for a long time. I long to take him to the ocean, but until that becomes a more practical option, we'll settle for the State Park about 5 miles from our house.

We purchased an annual pass for only $33. I figured I'd have to visit the park 8 times in order to pay for the pass. We will easily reach that goal number of visits next week.

We sometimes go by ourselves. Sometimes we meet friends. A couple times, we've met other moms and kids from church. We always have a blast!

The photo that is currently on my computer's desktop.

"My Beach Bum"

He looks unhappy...but he's not. He's basking in contentment. Trust me.

You may think that going to a lake with four children who are 6 and under is likely to be quite stressful. It's not for us. I'm so proud of my kids. They all wear their life jackets, and they're all very cautious on top of that. It's a relaxing and refreshing time for us all!

The Other Animals

2011-07-19T19:25:00.000-06:00

An update on my other "animals":

I took this picture the Friday before Father's Day. I uploaded it to Walmart.com, ordered it at the local 1-Hour Photo, framed it, and we delivered it to Morgan at work as part of his Father's Day present. I think he likes it. :)

Sadie turned 3 on May 30th. She got her ears pierced as part of her present. I was nervous, but she did great! And, she looks SO cute with her little pink flower earrings.

Amos continues to be oober-photogenic. He just looks so cute in so many pictures! He'll be 5 in a couple months...I can't believe it!

Jobey is 6. He's become an expert bike-rider this summer. We managed to fit his and Amos' bikes into the van for our summer trip to Nebraska. I'm so glad we made room! They had a blast riding around without a care in the world.

Judah is still our baby....for a little while longer. He hasn't done much talking. It might be because I let him keep his pacifier in all the time. It's my way of keeping him young. :)

This one is my sister's little animal. :) He just turned 2. I like this picture of him. :)

A Self Portrait

2011-07-18T22:43:00.003-06:00

My First Pregnant Picture

24 weeks

Home Decorating

2011-07-17T20:54:00.002-06:00

I love to look for home decorating ideas.

I get lots of inspiration from Kevin & Layla at The Lettered Cottage and Ree at The Pioneer Woman. I also love Country Living magazine.

When it comes to ACTUALLY decorating my own home....I'm lazy or reluctant or afraid or cheap....or all of the above. We've lived in our home for just over a year, and there is still NOTHING on the walls. In fact, there are still nail holes and smoke marks from the previous owners' wall decorations (candle sconces?).

We've recently discussed the possibility of going with a sort of "local"/Wyoming theme. I like it, but we don't have a lot of genuine interest in popular Wyoming decoration themes (Horses, Cows, Cowboys). But, I've been going through my photo archives, and I've set aside some pictures that might be worth framing and hanging on the wall. They're personal to us, and they're all related to a Wyoming-type theme.

I love this picture of the bluebird. There was only one day this spring that I saw bluebirds. A whole flock came through. What a treat! I'm glad I got some pictures, because they must have just stopped for a rest on their way somewhere else (probably a location with
more
trees :) ). I have edited this photo in a number of ways. They are all on my Flickr, and if you click on my Flickr link in the sidebar, you can view them. I'd really appreciate feedback on the edits.

This is a picture of Casper Mountain from our front deck. Are the clouds too much? I like them...but maybe they cover up too much of the mountain?

I have a few different shots of Pathfinder Dam...I'm not sure which one to choose. I like this one, because of the blue sky included on the top. I have a couple closer shots. Which ones work best, do you think? Again, if you click on the Flickr link at the top of my sidebar, you should be able to find them easily.

I know there is a "Rule of 1/3's" in photography. I'm not sure what the rule states...but it has to do with the composition of a photo. I think I've come up with a new "Rule of 1/3's". A good photograph has 3 elements:

1/3 Creativity/Vision-Having an "eye" for a good picture. I'm not so great at this. My little sister is awesome!
1/3 Quality-This involves having a decent camera and knowing how to properly use it. I'm working on this. :) And, this probably is less than a third. I've seen some really awesome pictures taken with phone cameras! :)
1/3 Editing- This involves knowledge of software and an element of personal creativity (like the first 1/3).

So....as a person who is not naturally creative, I'm at a disadvantage from the start. :) But....I'm really enjoying learning what I can!

Any decorating or photography advice for me?

FYI: For photography inspiration, I go to Donna at Quiet Life and Ree at The Pioneer Woman (in addition to some others. :) ) .

Très, Très Blessed

2011-07-17T20:52:00.000-06:00

The title of my blog translates "Very Blessed", and it is my goal to share with my readers the many facets of my life that display the richness of God's grace and mercy.

Here is one of the greatest gifts God has given to me:

He is so much more than I ever imagined I'd have in a husband.

"You're everything I never knew I always wanted!" (Name that movie!)

One post cannot do justice to this topic, so for now, I'll focus on one thing about MY LOVE that I LOVE. :)

My dear husband does not leave messes around the house. He leaves the bathroom in the condition it was when he arrived. He rinses out his dishes. He puts the box of cereal away. He moves his dirty socks to the dirty clothes area of the house. He puts his toothbrush away. He puts the cap on the toothpaste. He disposes of the diapers that he changes (without complaining about having to change a diaper).

So much of what you hear about husbands is how unhelpful they are around the house. When these conversations come up, I have nothing to contribute. My life partner is helpful and does not add any extra work to my housekeeping load.

...and I love that.

PS-He also likes to splash around in the river with while on vacation with his kids. (I thought the photo might call for a bit of an explanation.)

From Above

2011-07-17T20:51:00.002-06:00

I got a new camera last week. I'm very excited about it. I've been messing with some of the manual controls, which is especially fun for me with sky/cloud/storm pictures.

I have so much to learn in order to find out my camera's full potential. I'm hoping that I learn a fraction of that this summer.

Living in Wyoming, I miss trees. But, then when I stand outside our house, I can't help but appreciate the wide, open spaces. Nothing hindering my view. There's something priceless about that too. We're very blessed.

I am waiting on only 1 of about 8 shipments of homeschool curriculum to arrive, and my set will be nearly complete for the 2011-2012 school year. I am feeling confident and excited! I hope to at some point have a nice little link on the sidebar, listing my curriculum choices. I'm describing our philosophy as a sort of Math/Science-heavy Classical program.

Glad to be back to blogging....

Dangers of Farm Life

2011-07-17T20:50:00.003-06:00

The photo above is not of our "farm". It is a photo I took last week while on a lovely hike with my children at the Audubon Society. I don't have a picture of what I'm going to write about today...but I like to include an image with every one of my posts.

Last night, the chickens got a chicken run built close to their coop. So, today started out with much motivation on my part to get the back yard de-chicken-poop-ified. We sprayed down the deck and the window well coverings. And, I decided to mow some of the grass that has been hard to reach all season.

Long story short: I didn't really do the necessary prep work before mowing...and I had a bit of an accident.

I'm pretty sure I broke my finger.

The details are ~~embarassing~~ not very important.

Just wanted to have a farming followup post. I may have painted farm life as ultra-romantic. Know that there are real dangers involved...at least if you're me. :)

Update: The Farmer doesn't think the finger is broken....just traumatized. :)

Finally a Farmer's Wife

2011-07-17T20:49:00.000-06:00

When I was 13, and my family moved from the big city out to Wyoming, my parents bought a place with a couple of acres. Shortly after moving in, my dad purchased an old horse, saying, "I didn't move to Wyoming NOT to have a horse!"

Now, nearly 20 years later, I find myself in similar shoes.

My husband and I just celebrated 1 year in our new home, which happens to be on a bit of acreage in the country. And, only about 9 months in, we decided to adopt 8 little chicks.

They aren't so little anymore, but they deserve a proper blog introduction.

: Larry (the rooster)

Most of the chicks we bought were guaranteed to be hens. A few of them, we were told, MAY be roosters. We were advised to just "wait and see". We weren't sure what we were waiting to see...but in the last few weeks, at about 6:30 each morning, we've HEARD a little something that gives us a clue. :) It started as faint and almost unrecognizable, but in the last few days, a very clear "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" has greeted me in my half-awake state. Meet Larry. He's the fluffy white one in the back. He's been one of my favorites from the start. He's docile (so far), and he has feathery feet, which is...adorable.

: A Dixie Chick (1 of 3)

We got 3 of these pretty white ones, because they were advertised as good "layers", and we're very excited for the laying to begin! They don't have names individually, but collectively, they are "The Dixie Chicks".

: "The Sebright" (Marge)

We got one of these, a Silver Sebright. We named her Marge, but we usually call her "The Sebright". She just looked cool, so we decided to get her for aesthetic purposes, I guess. :)

Larry has a "partner", not pictured, named Dixie. She's a bantam also (feathery feet), but she has black feathers. There are also 2 Barred Rocks. One is pictured in the background of the Dixie Chick photo. They are Dale and Mary Ann, are robust, and are also supposed to be good egg-producers.

: The Chicken Abode

This is the chicken ~~coop~~ mansion. You see, when we decided to embark on the chicken adventure, we knew we weren't exactly prepared. So, it was in the plan to build a chicken coop/garden shed. Those darn chickens grew very fast, and the chicken coop construction has had a hard time keeping up.

: The Farmer

My husband, the Farmer/Engineer/Carpenter/Roofer/etc., is building a luxurious home for our beloved chickens! I'm very proud of him and the awesome shed. In fact, as I type, the chickens are being introduced to their new home, and will spend their first night there tonight! What an occasion!

Maybe we'll have an open house! :)

RSVP to the Farmer's Wife. :)

Dear Blog,

2011-04-10T09:11:00.002-06:00

Dear Blog,
I miss you. Let's make time for each other soon.
Love,
Me

Handsome

2010-10-25T21:19:00.000-06:00

My husband is great.

One thing I love about him is that he is a great dad.

Super Great.

In the words of my 4-yr-old, "Duper" Great!

Most pictures that I post are of the children...

But I was so excited to discover that some of the best shots in my most recent batch included my handsome husband loving his boys.

I feel loved when he loves our kids.

Why isn't that one of Gary Chapman's Love Languages?

It probably should be.

Summer Snapshots, Ed. 3

2010-09-25T15:02:00.000-06:00

New Friends

We moved into a house on rural property at the beginning of the summer. During the last 6 years living in town(s), there were never kids nearby for our kids to play with.

But, we move 10 miles out of town where we only have 6 neighbors within a mile-radius...and there are kids just 2 doors down!

There is a boy who is right between my 2 oldest boys in age. And a girl who is 1 month older than my girl. AND...a baby boy who is a few months younger than our latest lad.

And, if that weren't cool enough...They're NICE! :) I'm excited for our kids to grow up together. :)

Summer Snapshots, Ed. 2

2010-09-24T19:18:00.000-06:00

Goggles

Summer Snapshots, Ed. 1

2010-09-22T09:05:00.000-06:00

As I've been on a blogging sabbatical, I need to do some catching up on the events that I've missed sharing with you.

The first series:

Summer

Tree-Climbing

Mother-Son Bonding

First Braids

Baseball in a Big Back Yard

The Bug

2010-09-20T19:47:00.001-06:00

I'm starting to catch the blogging bug. :) I hope this results in frequent posts....we'll see how it goes. :)

So...an update on what's been going on with us:

We started homeschooling! We've been at it for about 4 weeks now. We've put a lot of energy into our homeschool room, and I'm starting to love it.

My princess is getting so big! Her sassiness is letting up a bit. :) She's a joy to be around! I have lot of cute stories...maybe they will be the subject of an upcoming post.

My 2nd boy turned 4 last week. I kept asking him if he wouldn't mind staying 3 for a while longer. He was not interested. I'm making him think I'm overcome with sadness. But, the truth is, I'm glad he's 4 and not 5. 4 is still a little boy...and I'm not ready for the bigness that comes with 5.

We've been trying to enjoy the outdoors a bit. On a nice evening, we walked to a nearby pond for the sunset. It was pleasant and memorable. :) We hope to go back and go fishing sometime!... maybe before it snows.

My baby's getting big. He's really zooming around and getting where he wants to go in his walker. It's nice having all hardwood floor, so he can have a little bit of independence. He's happy. :)

He's also crawling. He's 7 1/2 months old, and we didn't put him down on the floor until he was 6 months old. As soon as we got our rug and laid him on it, he started rolling all over and trying to figure out the mechanics of crawling. It didn't take long. He's still my sweet, cuddly guy...just a little more of a big boy.

I do hope to post more about our homeschooling, our new home, our recent travels, and of course the kids and the funny, sweet things they do.

Reformed Church in Casper

2010-09-20T11:13:00.001-06:00

For those of you who live in our area, we are excited to announce that our pastor from Laramie will be conducting a monthly Bible study in our home here in Casper.

As you may know, we became members of the Laramie Reformed Presbyterian Church during our short time living there. We have grown to love the church, and we're excited to see how God intends to expand the work of the RPCNA here in Casper.

If you are interested in a Bible Study from a Reformed perspective, please contact me or check out the Reformed in Casper blog that we've set up.

Oh, What a Wonderful Day

2010-07-12T22:36:00.002-06:00

Verse 1 & Chorus of "Heaven Came Down, and Glory Filled my Soul" :)

Our Home

2010-06-28T22:16:00.005-06:00

I know, I know...it's been forever.

I'm sorry.

I've been trying to focus on making memories instead of documenting memories. :)

But...I miss blogging, and hope I can get right back to it.

For now, I wanted to share a picture of our new home.

I love this photo! Thanks to Pastor Bob for capturing a snapshot of the view from the end of our dirt road.

Do you see the wind turbines on the horizon?

Ours is the one with the open garage door and 3 vehicles parked in the driveway.

We're enjoying our home. I'm excited to share more with you about all that's been going on....mostly about how God blesses us each day much more than we deserve.

Another Dreams Post

2010-05-03T08:48:00.000-06:00

Oh, man...I've got to get this down before I forget.

This morning I had my funniest conversation to date with my 2nd oldest.

Me: Hey, buddy...did you have any dreams last night?
Him: Yeah.
Me: What was it about?
Him: Lost.
Me: What?!?!?
Him: Yeah, and I was in a blog.
Me: {Laughing hysterically}
Him: Hey, don't laugh about it.
Me: {Trying to stay composed...feeling kind of bad for laughing at him} Ok, tell me about your dream. What happened in Lost and on the blog?
Him: {Long pause} Hmmm...hard question.
Me: {Can't control the laughter}

For those of you who haven't been following my blog for long, I'm addicted to ABC's Lost, and I often have dreams about Lost on Tuesday nights after the newest episode has just aired. :)

Music

2010-04-20T13:03:00.001-06:00

I was a teacher for 3 years before I had my first baby. I taught middle school, and discipline/classroom management was a big issue.

An older cousin of mine who also taught middle school once gave me the best advice: "Put a big sign in the front of your room that reads 'No Arguing'". If a student starts to argue with you, just point at the sign. I followed her advice and found that it was very helpful in keeping myself sane. :)

Though my occupation has changed, I still employ the "No Arguing" policy with my "pupils". :)

My 3-yr-old has a hard time in this area.

Here's a typical conversation:

Me: Sweety, I need you to put your toys away.
Him: Because I don't want to.
Me: Just say, "Ok, Mom."
Him: Ok, Mom.

Me: Honey, I want you to go get your pajamas on.
Him: Because I want to be naked.
Me: Just say, "Ok, Mom."
Him: Ok, Mom.

THEN...one day last week, we had a conversation like this:

Me: It's time to turn off the Wii.
Him: Ok, Mom.
Me: What??? I LOVE YOU!!!! Come give me a hug! What a sweet boy you are!!

"Ok, Mom." = Music to my ears

Somber

2010-04-19T22:22:00.002-06:00

I recently read this book:

If you can't read the caption at the top, it's the theme of the book:

"A Mom's Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline"

The idea behind the book is that we shouldn't discipline to simply change our children's behavior, but we should be working to train their hearts.

We are born with sinful hearts, and it's our job as moms to help our children understand their sinful natures and their need for a Savior.

It makes sense to me.

Tonight, at the beginning of our nightly "Family Time", we were going through catechism questions. We've learned a lot about the sin of Adam and Eve and how that sin condemned us all. Now, we're just starting to cover questions regarding the Covenant of Grace.

These are the questions we covered tonight:

Q: Why can't anyone be saved through the covenant of works?
A: Because all have broken it and are condemned by it.

Q: How did you break the covenant of works?
A: Adam represented all people, and so I fell with Adam in his first sin.

Q: How, then, can you be saved?
A: By the Lord Jesus Christ through the covenant of grace.

Q: How did Christ fulfill the covenant of grace?
A: Christ obeyed the whole law for his people, and then suffered the punishment due for their sins.

Q: Did Jesus ever sin?
A: No. He lived a sinless life.

Since these were relatively new questions, we talked a little bit about what they mean.

My oldest said that Jesus suffered by dying on the cross. He said that he saw the holes in Jesus' hands and feet. (a picture in a book perhaps?) He knew that the holes were made by nails that kept Jesus on the cross. We talked about how Jesus was sinless but died for our sins. My boy looked...sad.

I quickly transitioned to the singing segment of Family Time. My boy did not sing along with the first song.

I asked him, "What's wrong?"

He said, "You told me Jesus died on the cross for my sins," and he started to cry. A very genuine, heart-aching cry. I was touched. It was so sad to see him, but it was so encouraging to see how personally he views the death of Christ.

We talked after that about how joyful it is that Jesus came back to life.

Oh, Lord...give me the heart of a child.

Hurdles

2010-04-14T22:10:00.002-06:00

My dear husband is graduating from college in 24 days. I'm so proud of him. He is an incredibly hard working, determined, positive-thinking, big-dreaming, man of integrity. I love that God blessed me with him.

Since we decided 5 years ago to embark on this journey of higher education, we've added 3 babies to our family and changed residences 3 times.

Now, we're so excited to settle down with our beautiful family. This involves moving to a town about 150 miles away. The job is secure, but the housing is proving difficult.

After viewing over a dozen homes, we made an offer on the only one that fit our criteria. The offer did not lead to a contract, and we felt we'd exhausted our options.

So, I started getting a little more creative. I started looking into the possibility of buying land and building.

Pictures don't show the majesty, but this is the view from a lot that I fell completely in love with. Challenges: no well (yet), no electricity (yet), relatively high price

I spent a week trying to figure out how to make this land

work for us. I looked at modular homes, picked out a couple floor plans I liked, got prices for home, basement, well, electric, septic, driveway, etc...

I started thinking about all the things I'd like in a custom home.

Wood. Hickory. Cabinets, trim, doors. Ahhh...love it.

This door is actually alder...but imagine it hickory, and that's what I have been dreaming about at night.

Unfortunately, we weren't able to make this idea work in real life (yet). And, just around the time we realized it, we got a call saying that we could maybe get a contract signed on the house we originally made an offer on. :)

So...we are currently negotiating the contract on that house...it's not going as smoothly as we had hoped. But, if it pans out, I'll let you know. It's a very nice house, and I'd be very excited to call it home...and I have plans to start installing some hickory. :)

We're praying....you can too if you want. :)

2 months

2010-04-13T22:39:00.000-06:00

It seems like just yesterday, I posted my birth story.

Now, my baby is 2 months old already!

Thought you might want to see some pictures. :)

A Positive Contrast

2010-04-13T22:29:00.001-06:00

No need to despair about the hair tragedy blogged about a few days ago.

I trimmed it up, and it looks decent.

AND...

Today was the day of the first braids for our Little Pigtails!

I love having a little girl. :)

Mr. Independent

2010-04-07T23:40:00.000-06:00

My boy decided to cut his own hair today.

I think he wanted to keep it a secret.

I found out.

Oh, my....

2010-04-02T22:53:00.001-06:00

With much futility, I have spent the last hour searching my hard drive for a photo I took last summer....
Update: Found the picture! :)

In the process, I'm coming across pictures like this one:

My babies are growing up....

I'm a little sad about it.

Sweet

2010-03-31T14:10:00.000-06:00

We're planning a big move in the next couple months. As a result, I'm spending much of my time and energy trying to figure out what dwelling place we will be moving into. :)

This can be very consuming (time-wise, thought-wise, energy-wise)...and today I'm trying to focus on other things, like my children and housekeeping.

I was just getting a movie set up for my 2 oldest boys. As we were waiting to get through the previews, my oldest said, "Let's pray real quickly."

I thought he would pray about wanting the movie to start faster, or maybe that he was going to request that God give him his new favorite toy at Walmart.

Instead, this was his prayer:

"God, please give us a new house to move into."

What a sweet boy...and what a sweet reminder from my God that He is in control.

Just wanted to share...I'll try to share some pictures of the kiddos soon.

Reading Progress Again :)

2010-02-27T15:00:00.002-07:00

Just before Little Prince was born, I decided to a take a break from formal home-preschool/reading training.

My oldest seemed distracted during our reading lessons, and I was getting more frustrated than I liked...so we just stopped.

A couple weeks later, he started gaining interest in recreational reading. He started asking me to help him sound things out, etc. It was encouraging.

He has always been interested in spelling. He will get a piece of paper out, and ask me to give him spelling words essentially. He also likes to make grocery lists for me, where he writes, "SOBRS" (strawberries) and "GREPS" (grapes) so that I remember to get him his favorite fruits at the store (if they're on sale. :) ).

Here is one of his spelling sheets:

"JoJo" (From Horton Hears a Who...My boy knew how to spell JoJo, because we keep the closed captioning on :) ), "Dad, "Mom", "Fox", "Box", "Hot", "Sun", "Bed", "God", "Red"

Since he loved spelling so much, I was thinking about how I can use this passion of his to help him with reading.

With the paper he wrote above, I asked him to read it back to me. It was fun for him! He read the words quickly and easily, and he was very excited.

So...I think I've found a loophole of sorts. :) Now, I just need to figure out a way that I can use this new information more often in our reading lessons.

Here he is, reading a library book to his new baby brother. :) Love it.

Birth Story

2010-02-19T13:30:00.004-07:00

I know some people are interested... I would assume that some people are not so interested. So, for those who are...here's the story. And, if you aren't one of those people...maybe you want to skip this one. :) (I'm not going to get into any gory details...promise.)

I didn't really have an official "birth plan". But, I had hoped that I would go into labor naturally and not get an epidural. Mostly, because I thought this would be the most efficient and risk-free plan.

As many of you know, my first three babies were pretty big, and none of them came early. Because of that and a number of other factors, we decided it would be best to induce a few days early. I was induced with Pig Tails, and it was my best experience up to that point, so I wasn't too nervous about the induction.

I checked into the hospital at 6:30 am, and my midwife administered a dose of Cytotek with the hopes that it would get me started laboring naturally. It worked. :) I started contracting about every 3 minutes. The contractions were near pain-free, which was nice.. I progressed from 2-4 in about 4 hours. I wasn't surprised that I hadn't gotten past a 4, since I was experiencing almost no pain at all.

My midwife was willing to wait it out, but I didn't really want to be there all day and still have no baby, so when she asked me if I wanted her to break my water, I said, "Yes!".

Hard labor commenced almost immediately after my water broke. I was very happy to be able to get out of bed, walk around, and utilize the exercise ball while in labor. But...I decided when things really started getting intense, that I wanted an epidural. :)

So, at 8 cm, I got an intrathecal. It was magical. A few minutes later, I started pushing. Our little guy was...well...not so little, so pushing took more time than I had expected. Pig Tails took only a few minutes, but Little Prince..well...he took a little longer. I would say no more than a half hour.

This time period is a bit of a blur to me. I could hear on the monitor that the baby's heart rate was dropping alarmingly at the height of each contraction. Someone gave me an oxygen mask. The nurse was getting very worried, trying to get me to change positions. The midwife was trying to calm the nurse down. Someone said "epinephrine". I learned later that they gave me some in my IV...I assume to give me that extra energy to push, push, push our distressed baby out. Something they did must have helped the situation, because I didn't hear the heart rate drop so low again, my midwife was assuring me the baby was ok, and they took the oxygen mask off, which was nice, because I couldn't hear anything they were saying to me with the oxygen hissing on my face.

And....Little Prince finally came out. Healthy and perfect.

It's been a week and 3 days since birth date...and I feel almost completely recovered.

So...how do I feel about all of this?

Mostly really great. I would classify this as my best birth so far. I LOVED having a midwife. More specifically, I loved MY midwife. She was there all day with me...she was encouraging, personable, down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and confident...among many other great characteristics. I also loved my nurse, and I was very impressed with the facility. I had a huge birthing room, and they kept me in there overnight. My husband was able to sleep on a hide-a-bed chair thingy.

Also, I got to spend more time with my baby than any hospital has ever allowed. In all of my previous births, the baby has been whisked away shortly after delivery so that he/she could be poked, prodded, and tested. That was not the #1 priority at this hospital. In fact, they didn't even weigh him until he was a couple hours old. And, the person who did that was the anesthetist who administered my intrathecal. :) (Oh! She was great too!...don't want to leave anyone out..)

About the epidural: I feel silly for caving and getting it. I'm struggling with some guilt for not being able to get through it on my own. Can I admit that to you all? Truly...I knew when I made the decision, that the baby would probably be born very quickly, but, gosh darnit! I wanted some relief anyway. Part of me is glad that I got the intrathecal, because pushing was very difficult, and it would have been even more difficult if I had felt the pain fully. And, it was important that I pushed with all I had in me...because my baby needed me to. So, it's hard to say..."what if". As it turns out, it all worked out great. The baby and I are very healthy, and I'm thankful for that.

Child birth is such a miracle, and I thank God for providing me with a healthy baby and a great experience that I will cherish in my memory forever.

A Quick Update

2010-02-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to blog....

....but I've been too busy holding my baby instead. :)

It's a little difficult to type with one hand while an adorable baby boy is in your other arm.

But, his daddy's holding him right now...so I'm stealing away to leave a quick post.

I have to apologize. In my last post, and in a birth announcement email I sent out, I indicated that I would post our little angel's name on the blog once his name had been decided. However, I apparently had a little lapse, because I forgot that I try to keep the blog as anonymous as possible. So...no names. Sorry...because, his name is pretty darn cool...I'm tempted to post it...but I don't think it's in his best interest. So, from here on out, he will be referred to as Little Prince.

And, he is...my Little Prince.

We are all quite fond of our little guy.

The kids are adjusting well...even the Little Princess. :)

Grandma stayed with us during the week that Little Prince was born. I can't thank her enough. Thanks, Mom!!

I have more to share later...when Little Prince decides he doesn't want his mom holding him so much anymore. I don't look forward to that day...

It's a Boy!

2010-02-11T14:43:00.004-07:00

Psalm 127:3

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.

Born on February 9th at 3:35pm.

8 lbs., 10 oz., 19 1/2"

Yay!

Mom and Baby are home and doing great!

No name officially yet...

The Story of the World

2010-02-07T21:58:00.000-07:00

I hope to blog more about my ever-developing homeschool philosophy and my curriculum desires. But, for now, I just need to leave a quick post.

If anyone is interested in using The Story of the World series by Susan Wise Bauer as a history text for elementary-aged kids, the 2nd volume, The Middle Ages, in hardcover, is on clearance through Peace Hill Press.

It's such a great deal! I bought it, even though I won't need it for at least 2-3 years. I read through the whole book last week, and I'm so excited to get a better history education.

I want the other volumes now!

Funny Dreams

2010-01-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

I had a funny dream a few nights ago. I was checking into Labor and Delivery at a hospital in Boston...when I got there, the nurse told me that a cryptic note had been left, letting the staff know that I would be arriving and that I had progressed to such-and-such a degree. The letter was signed...."Locke".

So....Baby and Lost are apparently consuming my subconscious. :)

Every morning at breakfast, the kids and I discuss our dreams from the previous night.

Want to know what my baby dreamed about this week?

For My Mom:

2010-01-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

How to Leave a Comment:

At the end of each post, there is a link that says "0 Comments" or "1 Comments" or "2 Comments", etc... Example:

Click on this link.

A pop-up window will appear.

Type your comment in the box, scroll down and choose "Anonymous".

See? Easy Peasy... :) See you in Comment World!

Love you. :)

Thank God for Grandmas

2010-01-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

There are lots of reasons to love grandmas... but in this post, I'd like to show you that they're lovable because they buy really cute clothes for their grandbabies.

Since my kids' grandparents don't live nearby, I wanted to display some of the clothes they've been given in case they're grown out of by the next time we meet up.

This is a Christmas present from Grandma M. I absolutely love it. I love that the colors are girly, but they're not the traditional pinks and purples. And, I love that the pants are white with cute embroidered daisies. I love daisies.

I had to include this picture too, because her smile is so cute. :)...But, I couldn't only put this picture, because the daisies are not properly displayed. :)

This sweater is something my mom found for her only granddaughter. It's so thick and warm and soft and adorable. The size is 18 months, which my girl has mostly grown out of already, so I'm skipping the "tumble dry low" step of washing with the hopes that we can fit it on her for the rest of the chilly season.

Thanks to my two moms!

There are more that I will be photographing and posting soon...

Catechism #1

2010-01-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

I realize I've been posting frequently about our progress with the Catechism for Young Children. I'm going to start a new category for these, so if you want to read more, you can click on the link to the right.

This is another such post. :)

During our nightly family time, Daddy's been reviewing catechism questions and introducing a few new ones very slowly. Pig Tails now likes to grab the catechism book and start interrogating her brothers.

The first question in the catechism is: "Who made you?" Answer: "God did."

This is the dialogue that I caught on video.

Let's Compare...

2010-01-25T20:44:00.000-07:00

Baby #1

Baby #2

Baby #3

Baby #4

I think it's kind of fun to compare...

Nephew

2010-01-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in a post several months ago that my little nephew was born last summer. I don't live near him, so I haven't been able to take many pictures....BUT...my sister and "Peanut" visited a few days ago (with my Mom too :) ). So...I took advantage of the opportunity.

I think he's so cute! I love having a little nephew, and my kiddos love their Baby Cousin!

Saturday Chores

2010-01-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

I decided to clean the kids' room without their help this morning. :) Shortly after I was finished, my 4-yr. old entered the room, and started making the beds.

I never make their beds. Their bedding consists of a fitted sheet, a pillow with case, and a blanket thrown on the bed. We don't have any special or matching comforters, so I've never been big on making their beds. In fact, I've never even taught them how to make their beds.

It must be instinct. :)

He did such a good job! He made his bed (on the bottom), and then he climbed up on top and made his brother's bed.

Then he went in Mom and Dad's room and made their bed too. I wanted to take a picture, so he decided that he better also. :)

I'm a proud mama.

Little Piggies

2010-01-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Daddy got Pigtails some Piggy Paint for Christmas.

It's so pretty.

Just like our girl...well...not comparable, really... :)

Mommy got her the monogram necklace for Christmas.... then she found out it very well may be composed of toxic Cadmium... What to do, what to do...

I will now post many pictures of these pretty nails...

...because that's what I like to do sometimes...

I just can't get enough of this little girl's cuteness...

Can you blame me?

35 weeks

2010-01-08T15:00:00.001-07:00

Graham Cracker Houses

2010-01-01T17:58:00.000-07:00

I figure I better finish with Christmas posts before it's inappropriately too late. :)

When we celebrated Christmas with my family, my mom had the kids decorate these cute (and easy!) "gingerbread" houses.

I was so impressed with how well the boys did. They were so creative, and from what I'm told, they didn't try to eat all the candy!

My oldest insisted on having crosses all over his house. When he put the gummy bears on the crosses, he said they were like Jesus dying on the cross.

I was so inspired that when we spent Christmas with my husband's side of the family, we built some more houses for the boys to decorate again but this time with their cousins. It was so fun!

Pig Tails

2009-12-31T22:39:00.001-07:00

Pig Tails got a new swim suit and a pretty necklace for Christmas. :)

She's so pretty.

A Big Girl

2009-12-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

I've been telling myself that after Christmas I am going to take away the pacifier.

And I did.

And...she's living...but she's sad, which make me sad. :(

Here she is, happily going down for a nap, with a pacifier...pre-Christmas. :)

She's such a good girl.

She's saying "Cheese!" :)

What I Love:

2009-12-28T22:08:00.001-07:00

..having 3 (going on 4) little kids.

White Christmas

2009-12-25T14:04:00.001-07:00

We're visiting family for Christmas.

It's white. :)

We're stuck inside during a blizzard. It's fun. :)

These photos were taken BEFORE the blizzard....and after the icy fog storm... The heavy ice caused power outages, one of which was on Christmas Eve night. We read the Christmas story, sang Christmas carols, and opened gifts by candlelight. It was romantic. Anne of Green Gables romantic.

Having a wonderful Christmas. How about everyone else?

Catechism

2009-12-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday:

My ferocious little lion: Mom, why is God everywhere?

His younger sibling, the mean dinosaur: Cuz God's a spirit, and he has no body as we do.

Up until recently, I wouldn't have been able to tell you what a catechism was except that the Catholic kids "do it" weekly. However, I have learned that other denominations use catechisms to teach church doctrine to their children. And, our church belongs to one such denomination.

There are different catechisms, and the one we use is based on the Westminster Confession of Faith. Basically, the catechism is a series of questions and answers that give kids (and adults) a means by which they may memorize and understand the truths of Scripture.

There is a children's version of the catechism which I prefer even for me, because it's simple...and I'm simple. :)

I bought a CD with songs written for the first 20 questions of the catechism.

WhoWhatWhyHowWhereWhen

By: Eric Gilbert

Here are the words to one of the songs:

"What is God? God is a spirit, and He has no body as we do."

repeat...

"Where is God? God is everywhere."

...and a lot more repeating.

*Note the striking resemblance between the lyrics of the song and the conversation between my two young boys (outlined at the beginning of this post).

Great music..super catchy...I love it. My baby (18 months old) is already requesting and singing along with the song "Who Made You?" every time we get in the car.

The kids love the music, and the doctrine of God seems to be staying in their minds and hearts in a deeper way than I had imagined.

I'm encouraged. :) You should try it...if you want and stuff. :)

30 Weeks

2009-12-06T20:43:00.001-07:00

So...the picture's a little "grainy"...but let's call it "artistic" instead! :) 10 weeks to go!

Reformation Day 2009

2009-11-02T16:53:00.001-07:00

Our Littlest One

2009-10-29T13:25:00.001-06:00

Here is our littlest baby.

We do not know boy or girl. :)

But...cute, right?

See the little fist up by "his" forehead?

Let's see.....

Who's bigger?

We better start keeping track now. :)

Oh, and Baby is due to arrive around February 12th which puts me...ALMOST at 6 months! Woo Hoo!

Random Fall Stuff

2009-10-28T22:54:00.000-06:00

Did you know that October 31st is Reformation Day? That's what we like to celebrate in the Fall. Our decorations and traditions are similar to every one else's...we just like to think of Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-five theses on the door at Wittenberg while we're carving pumpkins and dressing in costumes. :)

I love fall colors.

Two of my children were born in May, which means I suffered morning sickness during the entire fall season. As a result, I now associate all the smells, textures, and sights of fall with nausea...which is unfortunate, because I mostly love (or used to) the smells, textures, and sights of fall.

We got 3 pumpkins on our Pumpkin Patch outing: one for each kid. They each told me what they wanted carved, and I carved it. My little girl didn't so much tell me...we just all assumed what she wanted. :)

We roasted some pumpkin seeds...a first. Pretty yummy.

The pumpkins are arranged in order of the "owners' " ages. The first one is suppose to look "kinda mean", the second is a dinosaur, and the third is a butterfly.

Impossible Request

2009-10-28T09:09:00.000-06:00

Each morning over breakfast, the boys and I discuss our dreams from the night before...if we remember them.

3 yr. old:

"I had a dream that a baby alligator was biting my arm! I ran away, and I tried to shoot him, but my gun was broke! So Daddy shot him with his gun!"

This dream seemed to be a recurring one, because for the last 4 mornings, I've heard about it.

Last night:

4 yr. old:

"Dad, I want you to come into my dream and kill something."

Ha!

I love my kids.

A Little Field Trip=A Wonderful Day

2009-10-23T17:07:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty certain there are no actual pumpkin patches in the state that we live in...

But, we temporarily live very close to a state that CAN grow produce!...so we were able to get to a pumpkin patch that was only about an hour away from our house. And...it was a perfect, perfect day.

We got that pumpkin for $1.

The kids got to play on some hay bales.

My baby took this picture on accident. I had set the camera on the ground, and she started messing with it...and...voila! I think it's a great picture!

The boys. :)

The petting zoo section.

The baby goat that we all fell in love with. He/she was hopping and jumping and kicking all around. So cute!

Somebody fell asleep on the hay ride....

"Nah..."

2009-10-22T13:22:00.001-06:00

"Nah?...Nah...Nah??..."

Translation: "Will someone please come sit with me?"

Daddy: "It would be my pleasure!"

Like Daddy, Like Daughter...

Oh, my! What a big sneeze! Bless you, Sweetie!

Watch out!

2009-10-15T21:52:00.000-06:00

Our baby girl has some mad faces.

Unfortunately...we love them. :)

How can you see this face and not burst out laughing?

See...I'm doing it right now...

Love you, Baby Girl! :)

It's true.

2009-10-13T22:07:00.001-06:00

Reading Progress

2009-10-01T23:09:00.000-06:00

I somehow, a couple years ago, came across the book, The Well-Trained Mind, by Susan Wise-Bauer and Jessie Wise. I read the first few chapters and knew that I had found a guide to help me as I embarked on the homeschooling experience.

The Well-Trained Mind is a guide to classical education...and I'm so excited about classical education!

The 3rd edition of the book is now out (I want it!)...but I have the 1st edition now.

And, the 1st edition recommended Phonics Pathways as a starting point for preschool/kindergarten phonics and early reading.

I bought the book right away (about a year ago?), but I didn't think it would work with my boys....mostly because...I'm a cynic. :)

But, it turns out, I just needed to be patient and wait for beginning reading to be developmentally appropriate. And...Phonics Pathways is seemingly so for my 4-yr. old right now.

We started by learning all the vowels and short vowel sounds. We use this sheet daily to review and become more and more fluent.

This is a "vowel stick" provided by the book. The reason for this tool is so that the student has a reference to look toward if he suddenly forgets a letter or its sound. And...it works very well for my boy! It forces him to stop and think rather than just "guess".

This week was a big stepping stone. We started blending consonant sounds with the vowels we've become so familiar with. I tried this about 6-8 months ago, and it was a debacle. But...this week...easy breezy.

I'm so proud of my boy!

He's doing so well, I'm going to go out and buy him the first set of the Bob Books in the next couple days, because I think he's going to be ready for them soon!

"E says eh!" like in "egg shells"!

2009-09-10T11:21:00.001-06:00

In homeschool, we're currently working on getting very, very familiar with the vowels and the short sounds they make. The boys know them all well, but not quite well enough yet. When they are fluent, I will introduce a consonant and start some blending. I'm very excited...and trying to be patient. :)

If you'll refer back to my goals, this lesson had my goal (as the teacher) in mind as well as the letter/letter sound goal for my 4-yr. old.

I know, it is sort of weird that we used old egg shells...But, it was a way to take a mundane task and spice it up a bit. Plus, the kids get excited about gluing....so that actually satisfies another of my goals for the kids. :)

The egg shells idea was not mine originally...I got it online. You can use the idea too, if you want.

We have other activities we're doing to get these vowels ingrained in our brains. I'll share them later.

My 4-yr. old is currently saying, "Mom, I want to do a lot of homeschooling!"...so...gotta go!

A Nice Weekend

2009-09-10T11:13:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, our oldest, oldest...big, big boy...the big brother of them all...came to visit.

He plays football.

And he wrestles.

And he likes UFC.

And he likes Rock and Roll.

And....

...he really and truly loves his little brothers and sister. He plays with them and fishes with them and talks about how he is going to protect them as they grow up.

As you can imagine, the little ones adore their huge brother just as much.

We had a good weekend.

Come back soon, Big, Huge, Enormous Brother.

Team Work

2009-09-08T21:13:00.000-06:00

I put this alphabet up on the wall last week. While its intended purpose is to expose my boys to the letters at every turn, my baby girl is trying to learn along with the big kids.

She's showing off here, and then she's giving her big brother a little encouragement.

It's so darn cute.

Why I "Need" a New Camera...I Think

2009-09-07T16:08:00.000-06:00

I believe the proper term for the problem I'm experiencing is called "overexposure". It rears it's ugly head especially in the summer time, since I take a lot of pictures outside in the sun.

I love this picture, but my poor baby's skin has the radiance of the sun. :) I've tried a little bit to remedy the issue by messing with Photoshop...but it makes her look unnatural in a more...orange way. :)

Of course, it doesn't help that my kids are such toe heads. Just that much more opportunity for reflecting the afternoon sun.

Look at the tops of the blondies' heads.

The background is what seems too bright in this picture.

Background again.

Maybe I can fix this with my high-end point and shoot. Does anyone know how?...or how to fix it with Photoshop Elements?

I'm pretty sure that if I had a DSLR, it would be a little easier to control the amount of light I allow into the lens...and maybe reduce the glare. Is that true?

Psalm 23

2009-09-06T20:59:00.000-06:00

First Day of School

2009-09-06T15:34:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited to homeschool, but I've always been intimidated by the idea of tackling these early childhood years. I sort of just want to skip to calculus with the boys. :)

But, I have determined to start an easy, fun regimen with the boys this year. Preschool, if you will.

The first day of school (2 weeks ago now), we started by decorating these little apples with cut up construction paper and glue.

They both loved it, and it was just what my oldest needed to get a little excited about homeschool. That, by the way, is one of my goals for the year: For my 4-yr. old to have good feelings about homeschool. So far, it's going well. :)

Other goals for my oldest:

Identify all capital and lowercase letters
Fluently recite short vowel sounds and basic sounds for all consonants
Blend letter sounds to form words
"Read" numbers 1-20, and order them correctly.
Recite questions and answers to the first 20 questions in the Kids' Shorter Catechism.

Goals for my 3-yr. old (oops! ALMOST 3-yr. old):

To have fun and learn as much as he wants to alongside his older brother. :)

We are working on shapes and colors and fine motor skills... but I've found most of that comes with time anyway.

Goals for me:

Oh, my...

To provide a learning environment that is stimulating. :) That's general, but I'll figure out the specifics as I go. Right now, I'm trying to just be flexible and offer a variety of activities and mediums as I teach a lot of similar concepts.

Pray for me. :) I'm excited.

PS-I'm not using a purchased curriculum. I'm finding stuff online or making my own stuff as I continually review my goal and objectives. I'll share valuable resources as I go.

Are any of you readers interested in my homeschooling journey? :)

The idea for the apple craft was found here:

Back to School Scissor Skills

The printable I used is here:

Apple Printable

Skipper

2009-09-05T20:59:00.000-06:00

We visited Hubby's family a couple weekends ago, and I so enjoyed watching my boys enjoy their cousins. We went on a picnic/hike, and I couldn't resist catching my oldest with his arm around my adorable niece.

It was not intended, but so pleasing, that I also caught my other precious niece mid-skip. I love it. I think I'm going to post this, and then I'm going to open up my Photoshop and crop that little Skipper right out and see how cute she looks all by herself...with her bouncing ponytail.

A moment later...no hugging or skipping. The effects a camera has on kids. :)

7.5 minutes later....

She is so darn cute. I cant' decide if I like it better, though, when I can compare her skipping with the other 3 kids' non-skipping... :)

A Big Boy

2009-09-05T15:23:00.000-06:00

We have a birthday in our family this week.

This kid is going to be 3. I can hardly believe it.

What a great smile. I've decided his face is my favorite to take pictures of.

It's just perfect.

More birthday news to follow...

Other Big News (Late)

2009-08-15T21:19:00.000-06:00

On July 5, my sister's first baby was born. This is the first cousin to my kids on my side of the family.

We're all very excited.

Meet Peanut.

One day old, clinging to his proud daddy.

It's been so fun! Congrats, Sister and Brother! Your baby is beautiful!

The Boys are Good :)

2009-08-12T20:20:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I gave you a quick update on our baby. Today...our strapping young lads.

They're good boys. They love their sister. They're excited about the new baby in Mommy's tummy, and they say my belly's getting bigger.

They play so well together. I can't imagine it better...it's such a blessing to me... so much more than this mommy deserves.

Something Big You Missed

2009-08-12T10:12:00.000-06:00

During my blogging hiatus/temporarily lost camera/constant nausea, you all missed out on an important milestone.

My baby started walking.

Her first steps were actually for her Papa while we were in the waiting room awaiting the arrival of my new nephew (more news on that later).

She spent a few weeks just taking a few steps here and there, but this last week was when she decided to switch over to her new primary mode of transportation.

I'm so proud of her!

2 Days in a Row

2009-08-07T12:30:00.000-06:00

Because I want to get back into the blogging routine, I'm blogging right now...just to blog. I think I might get out my external hard drive later and put some older pictures up for everyone to see. Does that sound fun? :)

Hubby's taking the boys fishing this afternoon, and PigTails and I are going to go grocery shopping so we can make a casserole for church on Sunday.

It's a beautiful day.

Love, ME :)

I'm Alive! :)

2009-08-06T09:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile....

The thing is, I've been battling a bit of...morning sickness. True enough. :) And, one of the things that has made me feel nauseous is...my computer! Oh well...

Anyway...I think I'm starting to come out of the yucky stage. I am 13 weeks along, and got to see our little one in an ultrasound yesterday. The doctor said the baby is at most 2 inches long, but I could see every detail of his/her little moving baby body. Fingers, toes...precious.

So, I'm invigorated! That's why I'm blogging...and I hope to do some more soon. I've been without my camera for a couple weeks as I left it at my parents' house... I'll be getting it back next week, and I have a new appreciation for it. I'll post pictures as soon as I get my hands on that memory card.

Oh, I also got myself a new computer! A Mac! Fun, right?

Ok...there's more...I want to update you on the kids and their cute growing things...soon.

Love you all and miss you!

Father's Day Weekend

2009-06-22T21:39:00.001-06:00

Arbor Kids

2009-06-17T21:54:00.000-06:00

Many of our neighbors are planting new, baby trees in their front yards. My oldest said the other day, "We need to get a new, growing tree."

I guess I wasn't quick enough getting to the nursery to fulfill his request.

He and his brother took the matter into their own hands.

I'm impressed. :)

PS: I had no part in this...they thought every part up and constructed it on their own.